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51 sats \ 3 replies \ @SimpleStacker 28 Jan \ on: Is Racism Enabled by Capitalism, or the State? | The Libertarian Institute econ
Racism expresses itself through both capitalism and the state. But I believe that racism is more likely to become entrenched through state mechanisms than through capitalist mechanisms. In markets unfettered by the state (other than protection of natural rights), racism should be self-correcting, as non-racist enterprises will fare better than racist enterprises and self-interest should lead people to abandon their racist tendencies. State mechanisms allow negative and inefficient behaviors to persist for much longer than the markets will.
I think the important point is that markets push back on the attitude itself, as there are economic rewards for not being racist.
We don't have to be so utopian as to think markets would have immediately bankrupted whites-only businesses in the Jim Crow South.
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of course, no one is saying it would be immediate. Moreover, a crucial piece of it is that the state is not doing anything to advantage one group over another, and similarly, the state is allowing people of all backgrounds to start businesses on equal footing, to migrate, etc.
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